In Memoriam

We have just recently learned of the passing of Mary Beth Vender-Fay, an active member of the Arizona genealogical community until her move to Colorado Springs, Colorado a few years ago. Mary Beth previously had been active in the Arizona State Genealogical Society in Tucson as their webmaster, and was currently the webmaster for the Arizona Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists. She received her Masters in Library and Information Science from the University of Arizona in the 1990's.

Mary Beth had a flair for writing. She had articles appear in the Federation of Genealogical Societies FORUM magazine, and her book reviews for the FORUM were informative, particularly from the view of both a professional genealogist and a librarian. She was editor of the Pikes Peak Genealogical Society Newsletter, also
Because the 1910 Wisconsin census was not indexed, she decided to index Marathon County with its nearly 50 enumerated townships and villages plus 9 wards in the City of Wausau! It was her hope to create a comprehensive index of the entire county and have it available in print form and on a CD. She was also the county coordinator for both the Coconino and Mohave County, Arizona portions of the AzGenWeb project that is a part of the USGenWeb project.

She was employed by Lexis Publishing (Shepard's - Legal Documents Publishing Company) as a content analyst and proofreader. This was a "perfect" job for her with her librarian background.

She is survived by her husband, William. She will be missed.

Linda Caldwell McCleary - January 23, 2003 

Obituary from Great Falls MT, Tribune - Wednesday, January 15, 2003

Mary Beth Vender-Fay

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Mary Beth Vender-Fay, 32, a former Great Falls resident and content analyst, died of heart failure Sunday at a hospital in Colorado Springs.

Services are 1 p.m. Saturday at Croxford & Sons Funeral Home, with burial in Highland Cemetery.

Survivors include her husband, William H. Fay of Colorado Springs; and her parents, Arthur and Mary Corrinne Vender of Great Falls.

She also is survived by her father-in-law, Tom Fay of Great Falls; sister-in-law, Lori Fay of Great Falls; and a brother-in-law, Tommy Fay of Missoula.

Mary Beth was born March 4, 1970, in Great Falls, and was raised here. She graduated with honors from Great Falls High School in 1988, receiving a four-year Elks Foundation scholarship and awarded a four-year presidential scholarship.

She attended Montana State University and received a bachelor's degree in English in the honors program in 1992. She also earned a master's in library science from the University of Arizona at Tucson in 1998. In 2000, she received a bachelor's in history from Arizona State University at Tempe, and was working on a master's in English from Regis College at Denver.

She married William H. Fay on Sept. 9, 1989, in Great Falls.

Mary was employed as a content analyst of legal books for Shephard Publishing in Colorado Springs, Colo., and was a self-employed genealogical researcher. She had written for "Forum," the publication of the Federation of Genealogical Societies.

She was a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and enjoyed dogs, gardening, nature, photography and cooking.

She was preceded in death by her mother-in-law, Arlene Hooker Fay, in 2001.

Memorials are suggested to the Gallatin County Humane Society; Grace Baptist Church Piano Fund in Great Falls; or the Mary Beth Vender-Fay English Scholarship Fund at Montana State University.
 

 

 

Obituary for Mary Elizabeth "Beth" Vender Fay - Colorado Springs Gazette


Mary Beth Vender - Fay, age 32, passed away January 12, 2003, in Colorado Springs. Beth was born March 4, 1970, in Great Falls, Montana, to Arthur and Mary Corrinne Vender. She was married to William H. Fay on September 9, 1989, in Great Falls. Beth had lived in Colorado Springs for the past several years working at Shepherd Publishing as a content analyst. She was also a self employed Genealogical Researcher.

Beth was a member of the Pikes Peak Genealogical Society. Colorado Chapter,  Association of Professional Genealogists and the Colorado Springs Mineralogical Society. She had published book reviews in Forum a publication of the Federation of Genealogical Societies.

Beth is survived by her husband, of Colorado Springs, her parents, her father in law Tom Fay, her sister in law Lori Fay all of Great Falls, and her brother in law, Tommy Fay of Missoula, Montana. She was preceded in death by her mother in law Arlene Hooker Fay.

There will be a Memorial Service on Tuesday, January 21, 2003, at 3:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 219 E. Bijou St.

January 20, 2003